ACADEMIA

This is a site for postings on education, especially higher education. Academic discussions pertaining to Indian and foriegn universities are also included in it. Special focus is on Distance Education system; its theory and practice. Use of various technologies in education is also mentioned on this site.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

These are some of my thoughts that I have formulated based on my experience since I joined IGNOU in 2006. Some of them may have got expressed earlier also. All the views expressed here are with the intention to enhance the reputation of the university and the well being of students of IGNOU. The suggestions discussed under several headings are as follows: Introduce Performance based incentives Some kind of incentive system can be worked out for teachers and academics so that some portion of remuneration can be linked to performance. Some objective criteria can be built within the appraisal system to arrive at the amount of incentive that may be given to the concerned academic or teacher. Further, the Appraisal system can be designed in such a way so that it operates in a continuous interlinked annual cycle, i.e., at the time of closing the Appraisal in the current year; the next year’s target can be set and performance in the next year can then be benchmarked against these set targets. The targets can be set after mutual consent of the boss and the subordinate. A more progressive Performance Appraisal system will allow for peer review and even reviews from subordinates and students. We can look for examples from some of the progressive universities abroad. Such a system can be best administered by Human Resource professionals. Chronic problem of huge number of student grievances: Where lays the solution? Given the huge scale of operations, IGNOU we will continue to have bottle necks if the present system is continued. One may think of attacking the problem in two ways – (1) Decentralization OR if decentralization is not possible or desirable, (2) Employ a highly automated system for processing all kinds of data within the IGNOU system, ie, move towards a paperless office. Let’s take the first – Decentralization, i.e, allow Regional Centres to function as autonomous units like affiliated colleges of conventional universities. This would involve strengthening of the Regional Centres in terms of physical infrastructure and manpower at all levels which includes additional teachers/academics. Some Advantages of Decentralisation Smaller scale of operations would mean the system will be more manageable thus ensure prompt learner support service. Indeed, in a smaller scale one can achieve Zero Defects in the service. Decentralisation will provide more autonomy to the Regional Centres. They can function like autonomous colleges and take care of entire gamut of procedures like admission, registration & examination while the university head quarter can operate like the UGC and provide funding and other kinds of support to the Regional Centres. Of course, the university will continue to award the Degrees/Diplomas & Certificates. This will enable more nimble functioning of the Regional Centres apart from providing more avenues for growth. Such a system will lead to healthy competition between different Regional Centres. Disadvantage of decentralization. While some centres will shine progressively others may fade way if corrective measures are not taken timely. How will the system work? To enable complete decentralization successfully it would be important to strengthen the Regional Centres with physical infrastructure and adequate human resource. Ideally, an academic/teacher of Professor/Reader rank can be made the Director/Director in-charge of the Regional Centres. It would be even better if the top post of the Regional Centre is fixed for a specified term on a rotation basis. Let’s take the other solution- A highly automated system using a comprehensive web-enabled software solution. There are numerous examples of the benefits of automation in the corporate sector. The most common examples are of Enterprise Resource Planning. Within the context of the Centralized nature of functioning of IGNOU, one may consider employing a comprehensive web-enabled software solution which can be accessed from any computer. All the data so entered through the software may be stored in a central server, which in turn can be mined by the web-enabled software to generate reports. The scope of the system should be such that it would involve automation of all office procedures thus move towards a paperless office. This would be a truly transformational measure which would completely eliminate the need for data compilation and generation of reports manually. Such a transformation is possible with today’s technologies. It would mean computerization of all transactions - right from the point of sale of forms to all the routine activities of Finance and Accounts departments. Similarly, all academic and student support activities can be computerized. On the administration side, all employee-related activities from the point of recruitment to the point of retirement can be computerized too. If such a transformational initiative is taken all the data can be saved in a centralized server which can be mined using a web-enabled software to generate reports as per the requirements of various departments. Thus the need for manual compilation of data can be completely eliminated. Such a web based system can be accessed inexpensively through any computer that is connected to the internet by using a freely available Web Browser like the Internet Explorer. Fig. 1 would illustrate the system.

Fig. 1 (A model software solution)

Requirements for the success of the system:

Human Resource factors: While a project of this nature is not possible without the support of top management it is also equally important to communicate extensively with the stake holders who would be affected by the change. It would be very important to take care of various human resource factors. Among other things it will require willingness to change on the part of the employees.

Security: Web based systems, being in the public domain, are most vulnerable to attacks from hackers. Few years back, JNU’s Entrance Results web page was hacked. Therefore, adequate measures should be taken to ensure a secure website. The web security benchmarks set by some of the Private sector banks like ICICI and HDFC may be emulated.Another option is to go for solutions like Virtual Private Networks to restrict access of certain sections of the system to the computers of IGNOU only even while using the World Wide Web. However, some portion of the system pertaining to student related activities may remain in the public domain on the Internet.

High up-time of the servers: Since the whole system will depend on the centralized server it would be important to take adequate measures, if not taken already, to ensure a very high up-time of the servers so that users do not face difficulty in accessing the system.

High Speed Connectivity: For the success of the system high speed connectivity and adequate computing facilities for the affected parties are necessary to enable them to upload data/make entries through the web based interface.

Training: Basic computer training of the staff affected by the computerization process is necessary so as to enable them to use it efficiently.

Levels of accessibility of the web based system: Since the proposal is to automate all transactions, the accessibility of the system itself will have to be regulated in terms of entering transactions as well as in terms of generating system based reports. For example, for making entries and generating reports pertaining to a certain region, the Regional Director may be given access to the activities related to his region only.

Ensuring Power backup: Ensuring continuous supply of power, at least at the Regional Centre level, is very important for the success of such a system.

Pay-Offs of the System

Such a system will have many pay-offs. Some of them are listed below.1) It will eliminate the mundane activities of manual data compilation and preparation of reports.2) It will release time for more proactive activities like academics, student satisfaction by ensuring more time for monitoring SCs and PSCs.3) It will eliminate duplication of efforts spent in compiling data at various levels.4) It would potentially be cheaper to run as various activities can be carried out in the same computer by a single person in small centres. In Finance, for example, in the physical book keeping system, apart from the primary entry, the book keepers have to make entries in the subsidiary books also. With the computerized system, one primary entry in the computer may be sufficient as the system itself will make the rest of the related entries. The Financial statements can also be generated automatically by the computerized system.5) It will release more time for the RCs to concentrate efforts in increasing enrolments, create academic content, and engage in academic research and seminars.6) It will definitely reduce the number of student grievances. Achieving Zero Grievances will still be difficult but we will be tending towards it.

Effective use of the existing ICT infrastructure:

Enable broadband internet through the VSATs currently being used for Edusat only

We can explore the possibility of using the existing VSAT facility, which is currently being used only for Edusat counseling, to provide internet connectivity. Thus all the Regional Centres and Study Centres where Edusat facility is installed can have access to the internet and can also become part of an integrated network. The ERP system, which is currently being implemented at the Head Quarter, can thus be extended to all such locations. If not all the locations, at least the facility can be extended to all the Regional Centres. This simple act of extending the capacity of the existing infrastructure can result in savings on cost and increase office productivity.

Improve student support services using the IGNOU Webmail

It is heartening to note that IGNOU is gradually enabling its systems and processes by utilizing Information and Communication technologies. Here, I would like to share my thoughts on the powerful use of the recently launched IGNOU Webmail that uses the gmail server.

We can think of extending the email facility under domain to all employees of IGNOU and the Study Centres. This will enable faster communication of changes to all employees. Especially, at a time when IGNOU’s systems and processes are changing so fast, the email can be a tool for bridging all gaps in communication. Well informed employees can be much more productive than an employee who is not so well informed about the prevailing rules, conditions, and objectives of the organisation.

Even better idea would be to allot an email id to all the students registered with IGNOU. This will enable speedy communication about the changes in academic matters that concern them. Further, various egroups can be formed - programme wise - to enable collaborative learning among the students of IGNOU. These egroups can be moderated by the faculty of respective schools. The egroups would be a forum where learners can float their problems and get probable solutions from fellow students and the faculty. Members can also chat among themselves using the integrated chat engine to engage in academic discussions. Thus the class room environment which appears to be the advantage of conventional system can be simulated virtually.

If we take the idea a little further, various groups of learners can launch their own private websites with limited access to certain members or with full access to all members within the domain. They can post their problems on the website and the solutions can be viewed and reviewed by all members who have a valid email id under the domain.

Indeed, the IGNOU Webmail system can be used to facilitate online learning for all the programmes of IGNOU. Users can use the features of IGNOU Webmail after a minimal acquaintance with the interface of gmail.

Use of Mobile phones in Distance Education

With continual decrease in prices of mobile phones and tariff rates, the use of mobiles can be considered to facilitate Distance Education.

IGNOU can consider collaborating with one or more telephone companies to offer the services. As part of the collaboration, IGNOU’s learners can be offered a free mobile connection. Listed below is a possible scheme for using mobile phones for Distance Education.

1. The cell phone device could be given along with the study material. Perhaps, an option to this effect can be incorporated in the admission form itself, ie, whether the learner wants the SIM only or the Handset and the SIM. The course fee can accordingly differ for the two cases.

2. The validity of the SIM without monthly rental can be negotiated with the telephone company for a period of 4 years or the duration of the programme.

3. To have more bargaining power the whole initiative can be taken up at the central level. The initiative can be spearheaded by the Student Support Service Cell/Unit. (Smaller centres of the North East with enrolments of less than a thousand will not be able to negotiate attractive terms. Therefore, to have the best terms in favour of IGNOU students, a university level agreement will be appropriate).

5. SMS between students and IGNOU can be free of charge. This facility can be integrated with the Edusat / teleconferencing so that students can SMS their doubts/queries on real time basis. Further, the facility can be used to communicate to students about Teleconferencing Schedule, exam dates, face-to-face counselling sessions, etc.

6. Call rates for IGNOU students can be fixed at a lower rate. At least lower call rates can be negotiated for calls originating and terminating between IGNOU students and IGNOU. This will allow students to communicate with each other to solve their problems and provide support to each other.

Recent emphasis on training notwithstanding, it has been observed that traditionally IGNOU has been recruiting employees who are not given any training and they have to learn the ropes on the job. If this continues for a long period of time there is a risk of deviation in the office procedure of an organization. More so, if the organization is as dispersed as IGNOU is. Therefore, it is important to not only train the new entrants but also the existing employees to update them about the new changes taking place in the organization.

Irrespective of the position in which a new entrant joins, whether Group A, B, C, or D, initial training on the organization’s office practice is a must. Such training will acquaint new employees on matters concerning office procedure and the propriety of office practices. Initial training can be of great value for orienting the new entrants about the organizations stated objectives and ethics.

Training programmes also need to be devised to take care of the specific training needs of the staff belonging to different departments. Exams or tests can be integrated into the training programmes so that they are taken seriously. The performance in such tests can become part of the personal records of the employees.

A comprehensive training system for training needs assessment The Performance Appraisal System discussed earlier can be integrated with an instrument for identifying individual training needs of employees. However, a more dynamic approach would be to have an integrated training system in place which will include all training related activities ranging from training needs assessment to evaluation of effectiveness of training programmes. This entire process of identification of training needs and provisioning of training programmes should be aligned with the objectives of the organization. Only then can we ensure effectiveness of our training programmes.

Delegation and empowerment

From my interactions with colleagues at various Regional Centres it appears that there is a tendency to look at junior officers as competitors rather than as colleagues who can make a difference. Therefore, it is important to create enough free space for officials at all levels to enable them to use their talents and creative potential. In short, each official can be allocated certain process for which he/she will be entirely responsible. To carry out the responsibility he/she should be given the freedom to assimilate the required resources. This would require delegation of financial and academic power at these levels. It would also involve direct communication to and from such officials on certain matters that they are engaged with. It should be realized that one is most motivated when he or she has a sense of ownership of the process that he or she is engaged in. Thus we can ensure responsibility, authority and accountability at all positions.

Scope of innovation in Material Production & Distribution

From my limited experience at IGNOU I have realized that a bulk of the students’ complaints refer to Non-receipt of study material. We must realize that our core competence is in designing and developing course content and that the industrial activities like material production and distribution are not our core activities. The huge number of complaints is an evidence of that. Material storage and distribution requires some specialized professional skills like logistics and material management. Therefore, we may consider outsourcing the entire gamut of activities pertaining to material production and distribution to a large publication house. The distribution channel of the publication house can be effectively used for speedy delivery of study material.

There exists a latent demand for IGNOU’s study material in the open market. This demand can also be met if we will allow retailing of IGNOU’s study material through book shops. Students who do not receive the material on time or those who have misplaced their study material can conveniently source it from the market.

Therefore, IGNOU can enter into an MOU/agreement with one or more publisher(s) and strengthen the distribution channel. In doing so, IGNOU can also potentially increase its revenue through royalty, commission, etc. I believe, thus we can reduce the number of complaints relating to non-receipt of study material.

Need for a Quality Procedure and an Internal Audit team

Quality is one issue that we very often keep debating as Distance Educationists, but rarely have we tried to move beyond the debate. If we seriously desire to ensure quality then we should start thinking in terms of implementing a quality procedure under the guidance of a dedicated Quality Control Department. Perhaps one can think of having an internal audit team which can take care of internal audit of accounts as well as quality audit of all other office procedures.

We can consider the ISO Quality Systems as a tool for implementing quality in Distance Education. To put very simply, ISO Quality Systems operate on the principle of ‘say what you do, do what you say’. The emphasis is on consistency. Therefore we would have to document all our procedures and ensure that we follow the documented procedure in delivering Distance Education. This does not mean that the procedure once documented would remain static, rather the Quality System allows for change and such change if and when effected, needs to be updated in the Quality Manual.

A Quality system will definitely ensure consistency in the delivery mechanism apart from improving the delivery of service for our learners and the staff within the organization.

One full time employee at the study centre on regular or contractual basis

Coordinators of some large study centres have been requesting for provisioning of an employee of Group-C level to man the study centre on the week days. This is especially required for large study centres where Edusat facility is installed. The this employee can be entrusted with the task of providing day to day administrative support to the learners and also sell Prospectus to prospective learners. This requirement has more relevance today given the emphasis on telecounselling and the recently introduced practice of Walk–in Admission for majority of the programmes.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Continuing the debate on Quality in Distance Education and my clarion call for Change: ‘not just continual, but transformational’.

These are some of my thoughts that I had formulated based on my first impression after joining IGNOU in 2006. They were forwarded to higher authorities. Here I am reproducing some of them verbatim.

1. Batchelor Preparatory Programme: This is a programme that has caused much damage to the pride & prestige of the university. It has invited criticism from all spheres – students, the job market, and the academia. Such short cut provided by the university has misled the students enrolled for the programme on a road leading to no where. It has led to a blanket ban on employment of IGNOU students by numerous private sector firms. Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal Pradesh is refusing to admit such students for further studies. Also, it has led to confusion in the minds of the prospective learners – many think that after getting a degree from IGNOU they will not get admission for further studies.

The most coveted asset of an institution is its goodwill. This programme has eroded the goodwill of the university that was built over many years. Therefore, in the best interest of the university it is high time we discontinued this programme before the damage becomes irreparable.

2. Incentivisation of remuneration on the basis of performance: Some kind of incentive system can be worked out for teachers and academics so that some portion of remuneration can be linked to performance. Some objective criteria can be built within the appraisal system to arrive at the amount of incentive that may be given to the concerned academic or teacher. Further, the Appraisal system can be designed in such a way so that it operates in a continuous interlinked annual cycle, i.e., at the time of closing the Appraisal in the current year the next year’s target can be set and performance in the next year can then be benchmarked against these set targets. A more progressive Performance Appraisal system will allow for peer review and even reviews from subordinates and students. We can look for examples from some of the progressive universities abroad.

3. Chronic problem of huge number of student grievances: Given the huge scale of operations of IGNOU we will continue to have bottle necks if we are to continue with the present system. One may think of attacking the problem in two ways – (1) Decentralization OR if decentralization is not possible or desirable, (2) Employ a highly automated system for processing all kinds of data within the IGNOU system, ie, move towards a paperless office.

Let’s take the first – Decentralization i.e allow Regional Centres to function as autonomous units like affiliated colleges of conventional universities.

Some Advantages of Decentralisation• Smaller scale of operations would mean the system will be more manageable thus ensure prompt learner support service. Indeed in a small scale one can achieve Zero Defects in the service.• More autonomy like the autonomous colleges of universities where all procedures of admission, registration & examination are handled locally while the university only provides support to the Regional Centres in terms of funding akin to the UGC apart from providing expertise when sought by the Regional Centre. Of course the university will also award the Degrees/Diplomas & Certificates. This will enable more nimble functioning of the Regional Centres apart from providing more avenues for growth.• Such a system will lead to healthy competition between different Regional Centres.

Disadvantage of decentralization.• While some centres will shine progressively others may fade way if corrective measures are not taken timely.

Let’s take the other solution- A highly automated system using a comprehensive web-based software solution.

There are numerous examples of the benefits of automation in the corporate sector. The most common examples are of Enterprise Resource Planning. Within the context of the Centralized nature of functioning of IGNOU one may consider employing a comprehensive web-based software solution which can be accessed from any computer and all the data so entered through the software may be stored in a central server, which in turn can be mined by the web based software to generate reports. This would involve processes like scanning of forms instead of data entry by humans. The scope of such system should be such that it would involve automation of all office procedures thus move towards a paperless office.

This would be a truly transformational measure which would completely eliminate the need for data compilation and generation of reports manually. Such a transformation is possible with today’s technologies. It would mean computerization of all transactions - right from the point of sale of forms to all the routine activities of Finance and Accounts departments. Similarly all academic and student support activities can be computerized. On the administration side, all employee-related activities from the point of recruitment to the point of retirement can be computerized too. If such a transformational initiative is taken all the data can be saved in a centralized server which can be mined using a web- based software to generate reports as per the requirements of various departments. Thus the need for manual compilation of data can be completely eliminated. Such a web based system can be accessed inexpensively through any computer that is connected to the internet by using a freely available Web Browser like the Internet Explorer. Fig. 1 would illustrate the system.

Some caveats to the system:

Human Resource factors: A project of this nature will need the support of top management which has to take care of various human resource factors besides spearheading the project. Among other things it will require willingness to change on the part of the employees.

Security: Web based systems, being in the public domain, are most vulnerable to attacks from hackers. Recently, JNU’s Entrance Result’s web page was hacked. Therefore, adequate measures should be taken to ensure a secure website. The web security benchmarks set by some of the Private sector banks like ICICI and HDFC may be emulated.Another option is to go for solutions like Virtual Private Networks to restrict access of the system to the computers of IGNOU only even while using the World Wide Web. However, some portion of the system pertaining to student related activities may remain in the public domain on the Internet.

High up-time of the servers: Since the whole system will depend on the centralized server it would be important to take adequate measures, if not taken already, to ensure a very high up-time of the servers so that users do not face difficulty in accessing the system.

High Speed Connectivity: For the success of the system high speed connectivity and adequate computing facilities for the affected parties are necessary to enable them to upload data/make entries through the web based interface.

Training: Basic computer training of the staff affected by the computerization process is necessary so as to enable them to use it efficiently.

Levels of accessibility of the web based system: Since the proposal is to automate all transactions, the accessibility of the system itself will have to be regulated in terms of entering transactions as well as in terms of generating system based reports. For example, in terms of making entries and generating reports, the Regional Director may be given access to the activities related to his region only.

Ensuring Power backup: Ensuring continuous supply of power, at least at the Regional Centre level, is very important for the success of such a system.

Pay-Offs of the System

Such a system will have many pay-offs. Some of them are listed below.1) It will eliminate the mundane activities of manual data compilation and preparation of reports.2) It will release time for more proactive activities like academics, student satisfaction by ensuring more time for monitoring SCs and PSCs.3) It will eliminate duplication of efforts spent in compiling data at various levels.4) It would potentially be cheaper to run as various activities can be carried out in the same computer by a single person in small centres. In Finance, for example, in the physical book keeping system, apart from the primary entry, the book keepers have to make entries in the subsidiary books also. With the computerized system, one primary entry in the computer may be sufficient as the system itself will make the rest of the related entries. The Financial statements can also be generated automatically by the computerized system.5) It will release more time for the RCs to concentrate efforts in increasing enrolments in various programmes thus improve the inflow of funds into IGNOU.6) It will definitely reduce the number of student grievances. Achieving Zero Defects will still be difficult but we will be tending towards it.

Friday, February 8, 2008

****************************A journey that got my grey cells working. Here, I draw a parallel with my experiences during the journey and Distance Education. I share my thoughts on Quality in Distance Education while trying to answer two crucial questions: What matters most to the Distance learner? Where our efforts should be concentrated?****************************

Fresh from an invigorating refresher program in Delhi and a short visit to my historical home town at Barrackpore, I set off for my place of work at IGNOU Regional Centre, Itanagar. The plan of travel included an Air Deccan flight from Kolkata to Guwahati to be followed by an overnight Bus journey to Itanagar. (Road travel is the only means to reach Itanagar).But why am I telling you all this?

I think what happened in the course of my journey can potentially throw up some lessons in Quality. If I may extrapolate from the constructivist approach towards learning, it may have some relevance for Distance Education also.

The Deccan flight (DN-653) starts from Kolkata and terminates at Imphal traveling via Guwahati. I have consistently preferred this mode of journey over the train partly because of its convenient timing and substantially because the trains in this route take an inordinately long time to reach Guwahati. (Indeed, train travel from Guwahati to Kolkata takes much more time than what it takes to travel a much longer distance from New Delhi to Kolkata).

On 3rd February 2006, a fine sunny day, the check in and boarding of the aircraft was swift and smooth at the Netaji Subhas Airport in Kolkata. The problems began after the boarding was completed.

As the departure time (12:15 pm) approached the captain of the aircraft asked the crew to prepare for take off. Immediately, the aircraft crew moved to their positions and the regular safety demonstrations accompanied by announcements in affected accent followed. But just as everything appeared to be ready for take off, in came the announcement from the captain that the aircraft had developed a minor technical snag which would be resolved in 20-30 minutes.

I reckoned that this time could be used to free myself from the shackles of the seat belt and move to the rear-end lavatory to ‘do the needful’. But just as I entered, another announcement from the captain followed. This time the captain announced that the repair of the aircraft may take an hour or longer therefore the crew may prepare to evacuate the plane.

Inside the lavatory, while I struggled to get the flush to work which simply refused to budge, in came the untimely knock on the door by the aircraft crew posted at the rear end of the airliner. In a jiffy, I walked out complaining that the flush isn’t working.

Driven out of the aircraft, passengers had to exit the aircraft bay, re-enter the airport building, obtain a fresh boarding pass and go through the security drill all over again and wait anxiously for the signal to board the aircraft again.

At around 2:15pm passengers are allowed to board the aircraft again. But even as the aircraft was being readied for take off, the captain delivered the knock out punch. This time the pilot announced that the flight will first land at the terminal stop – Imphal and then revert to Guwahati. The reason: early closure of the Imphal airport during evening hours.

After what seemed to be a long and arduous journey in the cramped non reclining seats of the low cost carrier, we finally reached Guwahati. Indeed, while waiting for the luggage at the luggage retrieval line I realized that my flight number had changed from DN653 to DN654. By the time I could retrieve my luggage it was well past 5:30pm. A journey that in normal circumstances should have ended in Guwahati at 1:30 pm took 4 hours extra.

I hired a cab hurriedly and set off for the Guwahati Bus Terminal at Paltan Bazar. I was lucky to have got the last available seat on the rear end of the last bus to leave for Itanagar.

Looking back at the whole episode, here I would analyze the events of the day from a quality perspective. So, what are the things that went wrong? What could have been done better?

Clearly, the ground maintenance staff did not do their work well enough which resulted in the technical snag. Had they done their part; the aircraft would have taken off smoothly and passengers would have reached their destination on time. The flush in the lavatory too would have functioned properly.

Secondly, after having delayed the flight by about 2 hours, the airline added insult to injury by forcing the passengers destined for Guwahati to travel all the way to the terminal stop at Imphal. While the ostensible reason was early closer of Imphal Airport, the real reason was to pick up passengers from Imphal for a return flight to Kolkata via Guwahati. Thus the passengers traveling to Guwahati had to travel unnecessarily for an extra hour and 15 minutes.

Thirdly, having subjected the passengers to the afternoon torture, at least the carrier could have been courteous enough to provide free snack to the passengers to soothe their discontentment. Far from it, as is the normal practice in low cost airlines, the carrier sold snack to the passengers and actually made more money that day as hungry passengers had no option but to buy the hugely overpriced snack packs.

Looking back at the whole episode, here I would analyze the events of the day from a quality perspective and try and draw a parallel with the way some large Distance Education institutions function.

Like the initial smooth check in and boarding of my flight, learners get an almost effortless entry into Distance Education institutions (DEI). The admission criteria of DEIs in India are among the most lenient in the world. Similarly, the hiccups that I faced during the journey are so typical for a student enrolled with the largest distance education institution of India. Delays of all kinds - related to receipt of study material, updating of assignment grades, declaration of results, etc - are a common complaint from the distance learners. In many cases, hapless students are caught napping due to frequent changes in the programmes without any communication. Much like my flight which changed from DN653 to DN654 and about which I realized only after the completion of my journey.

So, what are the things that went wrong with the flight? What could have been done better?

An airline with quality consciousness ingrained in its DNA probably would not have invited such a situation. They would have made it doubly sure that the aircraft is well maintained and ready for flight.

Even if, as a rare case, such a technical snag was to occur, the airline would have taken care to minimize the discomfort; not maximize it, as was the case with the Deccan flight (DN-653). For instance, the passengers would have been carried through the usual route via Guwahati to Imphal rather than via Imphal to Guwahati. Thus an unnecessary flying hour for the Guwahati bound passengers would have been prevented.

Further, a quality conscious airline would have provided free snack to the passengers considering the fact that the flight which was to reach Guwahati at 1:30pm actually reached there at 5:30pm. Surely, that would have mitigated passenger discontentment significantly. Indeed, it would have potentially earned some goodwill for the airline.

This whole episode underscores one simple but important point: That for a system to succeed, all its parts need to work in a synchronized manner. If any one of the parts does not deliver there is bound to be a systemic disorder if not complete failure. Distance Education Institutions are not immune to this premise.

In distance education also, the quality of a learner’s experiences during his academic journey, from admission to convocation, hinges on the manner in which various departments of a distance education institution carry out their respective responsibilities. The more synchronized their efforts; the better would be the results. If any of the departments fail, it would lead to systemic disorder and discontentment of the learner.

So far, in my limited experience with IGNOU, I have not seen a year without some or other discrepancy. Systematic disorder seems to be the order of the day at IGNOU or should I call it ‘management by chaos’?

To be very candid, for all the hullabaloo about academic counseling, I reckon that majority of the distance learners care much less about counseling. They just want a degree as soon as possible, and in some cases, by whatever means. Excuse me for saying this, but I have strong reasons for it which I shall not elaborate.

If only the Distance Education Institutions’ Study Centres, Regional Centres, Student Registration & Evaluation Division and Material Production & Distribution Division played their role to perfection much of the existing student discontentment will disappear, drop out rates decrease and perhaps we will have substantial pass percentages to boast of. That would be a much more meaningful achievement than our misplaced sense of pride in garnering huge enrollments which is more a result of the extremely open admission criteria than anything else. Here, when I emphasize; synchronized working of the said departments, I mean all student related activities other than counseling.

Alas, I don’t see it happening with the given processes and structure. It calls for change: not just continual but transformational.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

(This is an edited version of the essay which won the Second Prize at the Essay Writing Competition for the teachers & academics of IGNOU as part of the Foundation Day Celebrations held on 19th November, 2007).

Anything that comes free of cost is likely to be abused and higher education is no exception. How often have you seen water running away from the tap unattended? How often have you seen, in houses; lights, fans, and other electrical equipment left 'ON', even when the incumbents are out?

Well, if you have, it's most likely that these amenities are either being heavily subsidised or provided free of cost in such households. It is the same with education, not the least, higher education. At least that appears to be the case with elite conventional universities epitomized by institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University.

How can such waste in education be prevented? What plagues university research? What road should Indian Universities take for the future? This essay dwells upon these three primary questions.

According to the data available from the Department of Education, Government of India - in the Annual Report 2006-2007, there are 18064 colleges for general education and 369 Universities, which includes Deemed universities, and Institutes of National Importance such as IITs. The combined capacity of these universities is churning out lakhs of graduates whose training, in most cases, leads them no where. Thus, adding to the burgeoning body of educated unemployed.

Barring the National Institutes of Importance and Deemed universities, the state of education in majority of these institutions / universities is deplorable. Student attendance in colleges is at its lowest ebb. In most semi-urban and rural colleges, even classes are not held regularly, Professor absenteeism is high, and in places, few and far in between, where classes do take place, students are fed with the same notes over the years.

As pointed out by the World Bank in its report, 'Higher Education in Developing Countries - Peril and Promise' [2000], "higher education institutions (and whole systems) are politicised, poorly regulated, and sometimes corrupt."

Research has taken a backseat in most of these universities / colleges. Most of them have a dismal research publications record. Nehru once said, "a university stands for humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search of truth"; one wonders; if truth were to be found, how would it be discovered without research.

Some premier universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University that are heavily funded by the UGC / other government agencies, operate more like sanctuaries for future civil / government servants than as nurseries for research scholars. According to a conservative estimate, at least 70% of the scholars at the M.Phil. / Ph.D. level, studying subjects other than the pure sciences at JNU, aspire to be civil servants. The figures for such aspirants in the pure sciences are lower, but significant. For them, their aspirations come first and research comes last, other co-curricular activities filling the slots in between.

There also exists a section of students / scholars who have got admitted to the university just to avail of the university facilities like hostel accommodations, internet, gym, sports complex, etc. These 'scholars' are either employed or are running their businesses / NGOs with the campus as their base. The remaining scholars, who are serious researchers, are under a constant temptation to convert to the two former types, given the vitiated research environment.

It is evident that near cent percent subsidy in education and hostel accommodations is responsible for such state of affairs. Can our developing economy afford such waste of public money? The government and the university administration should rise from their soporific slumber and take initiatives to prevent such wastage.

One possible course of action could be to introduce a fee which should be just enough for the students to feel the pinch. If not for the course, fee may at least be charged for the lodging. Perhaps the feel of such a pinch will keep the uninterested scholars away.

Detractors of this view would argue that ‘scholars’ start looking for alternative jobs only when they realise that there are no career prospects in academics. If that is the case, the university should admit just the adequate number of Research Scholars so that they can later be employed as academics, researchers or in other related fields. This would relieve the strain on hostel facilities.

Besides, the fact that fee would be charged would make the prospective scholars more discreet in weighing the costs and benefits of undertaking the course and they would join it only if they find adequate value in it. This, in effect, will filter out the non-serious applicants and restrict the number of candidates to serious research scholars who foresee a career in academics and related fields. The dwindling number of applicants would make it exigent upon the universities to create the required value in the courses offered to the students to attract the best talent. One of the various parameters for value creation in the course could be in terms of taking care of students' concerns of employability on the completion of the course.

Some of my friends who are in favour of continuation of free higher education clamour that the government should not only continue its subsidy but also increase its budgetary allocation towards education. They should realise that India is already amongst the highest spenders in Asia and being a developing economy it has other obligations. A comparative study of Asian countries by UNESCO in its 'Statistical Yearbook', 1999, indicates that in 1996, India spent 3.02% of the GNP on education which was comparable to Japan's 3.6% and better than China's 2.3% and most other Asian countries whose spending was lower. In 2005-2006, the Indian government spent 3.72% of the GDP on education. Despite a relatively handsome spending by the government, illiteracy level remains high - at about 35%.

The goal of universal primary education remains a distant dream. The fiscal deficit remains a constant factor in the economy. All these combine to create a situation that makes it incumbent upon the government to take some harsh measures such as cutting budgetary support to the universities and diverting energy and resources to substantially augment the literacy rate of the country. Of late, some head way has been made in this direction, thanks to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. However, much more needs to be done.

At the same time, the government would be expected to grant greater autonomy to universities for formulating new professional courses and devolving alternative sources of funding. The government in turn should concentrate on financing adult literacy programmes and primary education by increasing the density of such schools, especially among the rural folk and tribal regions. The universities, on their part, should make the most of the autonomy that would be granted to them. They may formulate new courses, improve the faculty base, improve infrastructure, and garner a wider resource base such as course fees, Research & Consultancy, and other private sources for funding university programmes.

However, the government will do well to protect the interests of disadvantaged sections of the society by providing adequate number of need and merit based scholarships. Corporate sources may also be tapped for instituting scholarships. Emulating some of the initiatives of IITs and IIMs would be of great help in this regard.

So, then, what should be the approach for Indian Universities for their future? One tried and tested way to go is to adopt the 'Triple Helix Model' as proposed by Henry Etzkowitz*, which recommends a reciprocal convergence of government (public), industry (private), and academia (university). Since the government would continue to provide a substantial portion of the grant, it would expect the universities to fulfil its obligation of welfare state. However, its stipulations must remain stifled.

The other two partners in the model have an immense opportunity for mutual benefit hence they are expected to be the more active partners in the trilateral relationship. The model provides for the appropriate synthesis of the monetary strength of corporations and the intellectual prowess of universities for transcending research in the twenty-first century. While businesses can relocate research and development (R&D) in the proximity of university campuses where all the required skill and knowledge lies, the universities, on the other hand, can take advantage of the R&D infrastructure in providing their faculty with opportunities for carrying out cutting edge research work. More importantly, these facilities will enable the universities to churn out graduates with the right kind of credentials.

Some critics of the university-industry collaboration apprehend that such an association will be a setback for basic research at universities as the industry would be keen on conducting applied research only. However, studies indicate that such apprehensions are ill founded. The data available suggests that the universities that are strong in applied research are also strong in basic research. Indeed, the two have a circulatory relationship, with one leading to the other and vice-versa.

Additionally, the university - industry association throws open the possibility of industry sponsored programmes as well as increased capacity of the universities to provide employment to its graduates.

As a first step, the universities must identify their core competencies in science disciplines. Thereafter, they must consolidate on their strengths and seek industry partnership. As a measure in that direction universities may set up science parks, research parks, incubators, discovery exchanges, etc.

Instituting Science Parks, Research Parks, and Discovery Exchanges would provide opportunities for partnership with businesses for conducting joint research in development of new technology and their transfer from the university to the industry.

Incubators can provide the necessary expertise and ambience for graduate students with an entrepreneurial bent of mind to start their businesses, which, on attaining maturity, can vacate the incubator. Incubators have the added advantage of providing relevant employment to university graduates ensuring that their graduate training is appropriately utilized. It is obvious that such initiatives and associations would be more easily possible in the pure and applied science disciplines.

However, it has been observed that in some countries like Brazil and the USA the incubator concept is being implemented in humanities and social sciences also. There the students are being trained to start their own NGOs, Publishing houses, and Research & Consultancy organisations.

The revenue generated in the form of fees, rent, etc. from these initiatives will ensure a steady cash flow into the university coffers. The revenue so generated may also be used for funding programmes of other disciplines that may not inherently have the capacity to draw funding from the industry.

To summarize, firstly, the government should end the free party at the universities. This may be done by gradual attenuation of government funding for universities over a planned period of about 10 years. At the end of the planned period, the government may settle for a constant rate of about 75% funding by its agencies leaving the rest to be self-generated by the universities. This gradual approach will ensure that the increase in the fee charged from the students is also gradual.

At this ratio, the universities would be required to charge just enough fees to thwart non-serious applicants. Further, to ensure that research remains a primary objective at universities, targets for research publications could be set which would depend on the size of the university.This target may be spread over the University Professors, Research Fellows, and Research Scholars undertaking the M.Phil. / Ph.D. programmes. Performance Incentives may be evolved to ensure that Professors maintain a balance between teaching and research (i.e. paper publications).

Publications in scholarly journals may be made mandatory for the award of M.Phil. / Ph.D. Degrees. Lastly, the government should make the first move to impress upon the universities the needs of the changing times and the exigency of implementing the 'Triple Helix Model'. Towards this end, government should initiate policy measures for enabling a trilateral relationship of the three stakeholders: government, university, and industry.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Before we discuss the critical issues facing the Distance Education Institutions it is pertinent to understand what exactly does success for a Distance Education institution mean? Does it mean increase in enrollment? Does it mean increase in the number of new programmes launched? Does it mean launching new study centres in remote geographical regions? To me a successful DE institution is one which not only has an affirmative answer to the previous three questions but also adds value to the learners through its programmes, i.e., after having undergone the programme a learner should have significantly enhanced his well being in terms of the knowledge gained, his social status and also his ability to be absorbed in the job market. In this process the institution should have also enhanced its goodwill in the society.

Being a distance learner as well as an academic of Distance Education (DE) this author is at a vantage point to view the critical factors for the success of distance education from both the perspectives. However, here the issues have been discussed primarily from the perspective of the learner. This learner feels that the issues discussed below need to be addressed by DE institutions for the success of their programmes as well as the success of the mode of Distance Education itself.

The issue of credibility: There is exists some amount of cynicism about the quality of the DE programmes as well as students enrolled in them in the society as well as the job market. The Batchelor Preparatory Programme of IGNOU, for instance, is a passport to the Batchelor Degree programme for students with no previous education. Such short cut provided by the university has proved to be a pitfall for the students enrolled for the programme. It has invited criticism from all spheres – students, the job market, and the academia. It has led to a blanket ban on employment of IGNOU students by many private sector firms. Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal Pradesh is refusing to admit such students for further studies. Also, it has led to confusion in the minds of the existing students as well as prospective learners – many think that after getting a degree from IGNOU they will not get admission for further studies. The DE institutions need to take urgent measures to stem the rot and restore pride and prestige to distance learning.

Inadequate counseling and untrained counsellors: As a learner it has been observed that counseling is not being provided for many programmes. In many programmes the counseling provided is inadequate. Often counselors resort to lecturing as opposed to counseling. The lectures very often do not conform to the course content. Often the staff at the student support centres is not found during the appointed hours of duty. The institutions should ensure sufficient number of counseling sessions through counselors trained in the DE system.

Lack of proper intimation of counseling schedules: It has been observed that often counseling schedules are not displayed on the notice boards, and if displayed, changes in the counseling are not intimated properly. It is important for the DE institutions to have a mechanism for constant communication with distance learners.

Underutilization of ICT facilities: It has been observed that the existing teleconferencing facilities are not functional in some study centres. In some others, the staff is not adept at operating the satellite interactive terminals. DE institutions should have trained staff to handle ICT infrastructure to ensure better utilization of the facilities.

Non-receipt of study materials is a very common complaint among many students. Even more chronic problem is the delay in delivery of study materials. This gives the student very less time for study and submission of assignments. Besides improving the logistics of delivery of study materials, DE institutions should take measures to make the study materials and prospectuses readily available in the market. Students who do not receive the material on time or those who have misplaced their study material can source it from the market.

Delay in declaration of results of Term-End Exams and assignments are yet another chronic problem. Such delays cause uncertainty in the minds of the learner. Often results of the previous term-end exams remain undeclared even as the next term-end exam begins. Hapless students have to appear for the next term-end exam without knowing the fate of their previous attempt. This leads to frustration among the learners. Many of whom get demoralized and drop out from the course. Also, such delays cost dear to the learners in terms of the extra time spent by them. DE institutions must ensure timely declaration of results.

Inadequate student support: Often queries and complaints of students are not attended properly at the Study Centre, Regional Centre, and even the Head Quarter of DE institutions. In a DE system the learner is remotely located and therefore lonely in his/her academic pursuit. Therefore, it is important to be sympathetic towards distance learners’ queries and provide all possible help to them.

According to Sir John Daniel “Distance Education (DE) is any educational process in which all or most of the teaching is conducted by someone removed in space and/or time from the learner, with the effect that all or most of the communication between teachers and learners is through an artificial medium, either electronic or print”. Therefore, by definition, in DE the normal or principal means of communication is through technology. The advancements of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the last two decades have made DE more relevant today than ever before.

Globally, over the last two decades, the mode of delivery in DE has moved beyond the traditional correspondence system to include more sophisticated systems that may be categorized as follows: television and radio systems, Multimedia systems, and Internet based systems including the broadband networks.

Educational television and radio systems use various delivery technologies terrestrial, satellite, and cable television and radio to deliver live or recorded lectures to both individual home-based learners and groups of learners in remote classrooms where some face-to-face support might be provided. Some systems offer limited audio or video-conferencing links back to the lecturer or a moderator at a central point.

Multimedia systems encompass text, audio, video, and computer-based materials, and usually some face-to-face learner support delivered to both individuals and groups. In this approach, which is that used by the open universities, instruction is no longer an individual’s work, but the work of teams of specialists: media specialists, information specialists, instructional design specialists, and learning specialists. Programmes are prepared for distribution over large numbers of learners, usually located across a whole country.

The convergence of all communication networks including the satellite network, the telephone network and the internet has been brought about by bringing all the backbone technologies to a common digital platform. Thus heralding a future that promises to be even more exciting for the distance learner. Learners today can download multi-media educational content via internet from the comfort of their homes. Institutions have also successfully experimented with live web-casting of important events through the internet. It is only a matter of time before live web casting of regular lectures becomes routine.

The spread of broadband Internet communication is stimulating new types of educational organizations and also stimulating re-thinking about the effectiveness of the older ones. Thus the new technologies are being taken up with equal enthusiasm by open universities, correspondence schools, and other DE institutions.

Non-traditional providers, including private profit-oriented new companies are entering the global market, selling educational services online, especially to adult learners in the labour force. In Europe and America some for-profit online programmes have grown twice as fast as the conventional DE institutions’ programmes which have some face-to-face interaction. Some traditional education institutions are responding to such competition by establishing their own for-profit affiliates, while corporations have established their own in-house systems to meet their own needs for ‘just-in-time’ and ‘just-enough’ education.

The growth in enrollment of learners which often includes cross border learners, especially by for-profit providers, has resulted in adverse quality issues. However, a quality culture has been emerging among the DE institutions. All mega universities, including seven in Asia, have developed and implemented Quality Assurance standards and procedures in key areas of distance education activities, and at least three mega universities in Asia have institutionalized a central QA unit and sought the development of a more systematic and coherent quality culture.

Internationally, convergence of traditional campus-based higher education with distance education and the blurring phenomenon between the two modes has been observed. Increasingly, conventional universities have been embracing innovative DE programs and e-Learning. In Korea for instance, of the 201 colleges and universities surveyed in a study, 85 percent of them had implemented e-Learning and are equipped with technical infrastructure and operational supports.

Increasingly, countries and institutions see DE, especially e-Learning, as an alternative mode of delivery to widen access to education, satisfy continuing educational needs of adults, expand trained workforce, and/or train teachers to improve the quality of schooling. Pedagogical changes have been observed in DE. For example, one-way broadcast-based or correspondence courses have been replaced by two-way interactive courses, problem-based, case-based, and/or resource-based learning. Personalized learning and support services have been introduced in several DE institutions as well.

Whereas advanced ICT offers options to both expand educational opportunities and improve upon quality, it poses many new challenges as manifest in the 'digital divide’ in developing countries. However, with rapidly declining tariff rates and prices of handsets, cellular phones with computer like capabilities could become the instrument to bridge the digital divide. Integration of the Internet and futuristic concepts like virtual reality and miniaturized projectors into the mobile phones hold the key to portable education – anywhere, any time.